The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Feb. 21
Wizz Air is further expanding its Belgrade base with the addition of an Airbus A321neo in summer 2025, increasing the number of aircraft stationed in Serbia’s capital to four. The new aircraft, set to join the fleet on May 23, will support the launch of two new routes and increased frequencies on seven existing routes. The airline will begin nonstop service from Belgrade to Friedrichshafen, Germany, on June 2 and Alicante, Spain on June 3, operating three times per week on both routes. Additionally, Wizz will increase frequencies on routes to Basel, Dortmund, Milan Bergamo, Rome Fiumicino, Malta, Nice, and Larnaca starting in April and May 2025.
American Airlines is opening a new route between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Flights will begin on Oct. 26 using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The move will see the carrier compete with United Airlines, which currently serves the 4,235 (3,680-nm) sector up to twice a day using 787-10s, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data. American last served Chicago-Honolulu in September 2021.
U.S. carrier Breeze Airways has announced it will begin service to Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on June 6, 2025, with nonstop flights to Orlando, Florida, and Hartford, Connecticut. The LCC will offer 2X-weekly flights to both destinations. The airline will also double its 2X-weekly frequencies between Orlando and both Portland, Maine, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for the summer season. Service between Orlando and Portland will increase to 4X-weekly from June 4, while service between Orlando and Lancaster will increase to 4X-weekly from June 6.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has leased two returning slots at London Heathrow Airport from Vietnam Airlines to Saudia. According to slot coordinator Airport Coordination Limited, the lease will run from April 5 through Oct. 25, enabling Saudia to increase capacity to the UK’s largest international gateway. PIA remains barred from operating flights to the UK on its own metal despite the European Union Aviation Safety Agency lifting its ban last November.
Aeroméxico has inaugurated flights between Mexico City Juarez and Cartagena, Colombia. The route will be served daily using Boeing 737-8 equipment. OAG data shows that the carrier will be the sole operator of nonstop flights between the destinations.
Air Canada is scheduled to resume service between Canada and Israel beginning June 8. The service initially consists of four nonstop, return flights a week to Tel Aviv from Toronto Pearson International Airport. Starting in August, there will be an additional weekly flight from Montreal. “Air Canada has a longstanding commitment to the Canada-Israel market and looks forward to the resumption of service between the two countries,” a statement from the carrier says. “In preparation, Air Canada has undertaken extensive safety and security reviews, including consultations with Canadian and foreign government authorities, unions representing its flight crews, and security experts. It has also consulted with other major international airlines that are resuming or expanding service to the region.”
Solomon Airlines has added a new weekly service between Auckland and Brisbane, increasing trans-Tasman capacity by 14,000 seats per year. Flights will operate using Airbus A320 aircraft. Air New Zealand, China Airlines, Jetstar and Qantas also operate the route. “While markets such as the U.S. and China are now tracking above pre-COVID levels, trans-Tasman travel is still not fully recovered,” says Scott Tasker, Auckland Airport chief customer officer. “At times the relatively tight trans-Tasman capacity has meant travellers have faced higher fares at key times in the year, so an increase in capacity and options for travelers is always welcome.”
Feb. 20
Japanese LCC Peach has announced plans to launch daily services between Nagoya Chubu Centrair and Seoul Gimpo, as well as Osaka Kansai and Seoul Gimpo, starting April 10. The airline will double frequency on both routes to twice daily beginning Aug. 26. The new services mark an expansion of Peach’s South Korea operations, which have been a key international market for the carrier since it launched Osaka Kansai–Seoul Incheon flights in 2012. The carrier’s Nagoya–Seoul route will be its second international service from Chubu Airport, following the launch flights to Taipei in 2023. The carrier now operates five routes from Nagoya, including three domestic and two international services.
Spain’s Air Europa will introduce nonstop flights between Madrid and the Ecuadorian cities of Guayaquil and Quito starting June 24. The airline will operate 3X-weekly flights to each destination, replacing its current triangular routing and expanding its capacity in Ecuador to more 157,000 seats annually—an 8% increase from 2024. Through a partnership with Avianca, passengers will also gain access to onward connections to Cuenca, Manta and the Galápagos Islands (Baltra and San Cristóbal).
KM Malta Airlines plans to launch a 4X-weekly service between Malta and Istanbul Airport (IST), starting June 2. The route will continue into the winter season with three flights per week. A partnership with Turkish Airlines will enable passengers to connect to destinations beyond IST on Turkish Airlines’ domestic and international network.
LATAM Airlines Group is expanding its international flight network from Brazil, increasing frequencies to five destinations: Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Milan and Orlando. The additional flights, scheduled mainly between July and October 2025, will represent a 43% increase compared to July 2024. São Paulo–Barcelona will increase from four to 6X-weekly flights; São Paulo–Madrid from 11 to 14, and São Paulo–Rome and São Paulo–Milan from five to seven. LATAM will also launch Fortaleza–Lisbon between April and October, while São Paulo–Orlando will expand from five to 9X-weekly flights in July. The airline will operate these routes with Boeing 787-9 and 777 aircraft.
Feb. 19
Frontier Airlines has announced the launch of 14 new routes set to begin this spring, expanding its network across the U.S. and the Caribbean. The additions include three new routes from Washington Dulles International Airport and three from Miami International Airport. This announcement follows the ULCC’s recent addition of 16 new routes in February and March 2025, which included services to Tucson, Arizona; Reno, Nevada; and Antigua and Barbuda.
InterCaribbean Airways has announced the launch of new nonstop flights connecting San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Anguilla, beginning April 14. The service will operate three times per week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays using ATR aircraft, with an approximate flight time of 75 min. “The launch of our San Juan-Anguilla service represents another step in our mission to enhance Caribbean connectivity,” says Trevor Sadler, CEO of interCaribbean. “San Juan serves as a gateway from cities in the U.S, Canada, Europe and South America, giving easy access to Anguilla from North America and beyond.”
United Airlines has become the second U.S. carrier to offer nonstop flights from the U.S. to Dominica, launching service from Newark Liberty International Airport to Douglas-Charles Airport (DOM). The new route, which operates once weekly on Saturdays, will be served using Boeing 737-700 aircraft. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, American Airlines also serves DOM eight times per week from Miami International Airport.
TUI is adding a new long-haul route from Belfast International Airport, Northern Ireland, during the summer 2026 season. Flights to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, will commence on June 20, 2026. The service will operate once a week for a period of four weeks. TUI’s new route complements its existing flights from Belfast to Florida and Mexico, alongside several European destinations planned for summer 2026, including the Canary Islands, Cyprus, Turkey, Spain, Portugal and Greece.
Feb. 18
Air Astana will introduce a direct route between Atyrau, Kazakhstan, and Tbilisi, Georgia, starting May 27. The service will operate three times per week—on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays—using Airbus A320-family aircraft. The new route increases Air Astana’s summer schedule to Tbilisi to 15 weekly flights, adding to existing services from Almaty and Astana. Kazakhstan citizens can stay in Georgia visa-free for up to one year.
Dominican Republic-based Arajet is launching flights between Santo Domingo and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The service will run four times per week. Puerto Rico’s Governor González Colón highlighted the estimated $10.4 million annual economic impact of the route and the addition of 58,000 seats to the market. This expansion follows Arajet’s planned entry into the U.S. market, with Santo Domingo-Miami flights launching April 11 and future service to New York expected to start later in 2025. A Punta Cana-Miami route will also commence on June 13.
Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet is set to establish operations at Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) with a new direct route from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport. The service, launching on June 2, 2025, will operate daily. “The new route further strengthens the connectivity to Turkey, as well as other well-established markets in the region,” says Elizabeth Axtelius, director for aviation business at ARN’s operator Swedavia. The planned launch comes after Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) last week announced the launch of a new route from ARN to Reykjavik Keflavik Airport from June 22 through Aug. 11, operating twice a week.
Virgin Atlantic and WestJet are expanding their codeshare agreement, enhancing connectivity between Canada, the UK and key global destinations, including India. The enhanced partnership launches on March 30, alongside Virgin Atlantic’s new daily London Heathrow-Toronto Pearson route. The agreement will initially allow Virgin Atlantic passengers to book single-ticket travel via Toronto to 13 Canadian cities, including Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Virgin Atlantic last served the Canadian market from May 2012 until October 2014 when it suspended operations between London Heathrow and Vancouver as part of a network reshuffle.
Air Corsica is expanding capacity between Corsica and Rome to meet rising demand, particularly for travel to Vatican City following the Pope’s visit to Corsica last December. For the spring 2025 religious holiday weekends, the airline will add nearly 1,500 seats on the Ajaccio-Rome route by upgrading aircraft from ATRs to Airbus A320s and introducing two additional flights on May 28 and June 1.
Feb. 17
Starting March 30, Vietnam Airlines will introduce flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX). The new service will operate five times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays—using Airbus A321 aircraft. In addition, the Hanoi-Beijing route will be upgraded to daily service. With the introduction of this new route, Vietnam Airlines will now operate six direct routes connecting Vietnam and China, including Hanoi-Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City-Beijing, Hanoi-Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City-Shanghai, Hanoi-Guangzhou and Ho Chi Minh City-Guangzhou.
Turkish Airlines is planning to increase frequencies to Sydney. The carrier intends to up its existing 4X-weekly service to 5X-weekly from mid-June and 6X-weekly from the end of October. Flights are also scheduled to rise to daily from Jan. 12, 2026. Turkish Airlines operates the route from Istanbul via Kuala Lumpur using Airbus A350-900 equipment, but intends to fly to Sydney nonstop in 2026, pending aircraft delivery schedules.
Etihad Airways is adding a new route to Russia. Flights between Abu Dhabi and Sochi will commence on May 29, operating three times per week using Airbus A320 aircraft. “The Russian Riviera resort offers a mix of natural beauty and cultural history and will become a popular choice for guests seeking relaxation and adventure,” a statement from the carrier says.
Air India will suspend its nonstop Mumbai-Melbourne service between March 30 and Sept. 13, and the nonstop Kochi-London Gatwick (LGW) route from March 30, until further notice. However, the airline will continue to operate 12X-weekly flights to LGW from Amritsar, Ahmedabad and Goa. Additionally, the carrier plans to increase New Delhi-London Heathrow from 21X to 24X-weekly; Amritsar-Birmingham from 3X to 4X-weekly; New Delhi-Zurich from 4X to 5X-weekly; New Delhi-Vienna from 3X to 4X-weekly; New Delhi-Seoul Incheon from 4X to 5X-weekly; and New Delhi-Nairobi from 3X to 4X-weekly.
Alaska Airlines has launched a service between Los Angeles and Monterrey, Mexico. The route will be served using Embraer 175 aircraft on a daily basis. “With the recent merger with Hawaiian Airlines, we are expanding our route network between Mexico and the U.S. West Coast, strengthening connectivity and offering more travel options to Asia,” Alaska Airlines Director of LATAM Krystal Crespo says.
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